LaShera M. Ellis – Vocalist | Actress

LaShera is a dynamic and versatile Chicago native, celebrated for her soulful voice, genre-spanning talent, and vibrant presence on both stage and screen. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in Vocal Performance, LaShera is an Equity Membership Candidate, and a passionate ambassador of live music.

In 2022, LaShera was honored with the Denise Tomasello Scholarship Award for Emerging Artist, a recognition of her rising influence in Chicago's cabaret scene. Read more in The Columbia Chronicle.

Known for her stylistic range, LaShera became the go-to vocalist at Columbia for everything from country and rock to gospel, jazz, blues, pop, and soul. She has shared stages with legendary artists such as Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Mavis Staples, Brian Culbertson, and New York Voices (Darmon Meader and Peter Eldridge), and collaborated with Chicago favorites including Frieda Lee, Lynne Jordan, Kimberly Gordon, Michele Thomas, and Greta Pope, among others..

Currently, LaShera is a freelance vocalist around town. She is a lead vocalist in Soundtracks of a Generation, where she channels the power and spirit of Aretha Franklin in their hit show, R.E.S.P.E.C.T.. Additional performance credits include work with The Forte Band, John Paris Ensemble, Funktastic Productions, and the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective.

Her featured performances include appearances at Skokie Theatre, City Winery, and Chicago's Annual Blues Festival (2012 & 2016), where she performed alongside her blues mentor, Fernando Jones. She also appeared in the original musical tribute I’ll Take You There: Homage to Blues and Gospel, directed by Ms. Bobbi Wilsyn, and has performed with the Chicago Yestet at notable venues like Green Mill and Room 43. 

LaShera was one of three vocalists featured in the powerful music video I Wanna Be the Change, inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and written by Sophie Grimm and Jeannie Tanner. A former lead vocalist at Holy Trinity Church under the direction of Jonathan Gilley, she also served as a teaching artist and actress with Windy City Music Theatre, performing in productions such as Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, Godspell, Cinderella, A Little Princess, and Hairspray.

Her theatre highlights include appearing in the Jeff Award–nominated production of Violet (Griffin Theatre) and Legally Blonde: The Musical (Paramount Theatre). Most recently, she participated in a staged reading of Dream City: Burnham’s Dream at Theater Wit.

Whether delivering powerhouse vocals on stage, teaching the next generation, or collaborating with fellow creatives, LaShera Moore continues to uplift, inspire, and bring music to life.